Review: Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age (In the Best Way) — Dr. Phillips Center

There aren't enough celebrity-led cabarets on the national tour circuit today, but Alan Cumming is out on the road with his latest in a long string of them.

Alan Cumming IS NOT ACTING HIS AGE follows earlier outings like 2009's I Bought a Blue Car Today and 2016's Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs. This time, the Tony-winning, Emmy-nominated actor is delving deeper than just "sappy" or "blue," staring directly into the face of death... and greeting it with dirty jokes, diva tunes, and Disney songs.

Though still a long way from twilight at a youthful age 56, Cumming asked Wednesday night's audience in the new Steinmetz Hall at Dr. Phillips Center to consider a contradiction in society's plea that we all "hold onto youth" but also "act our age" - a quandary that might hit a little harder in Los Angeles than Orlando but is universal enough, to be sure.

That struggle informs the rest of a roughly 90-minute set peppered with torch songs, stories, and wry nods to the inevitability of death. Cumming's thoughts on those matters are both very human and very Hollywood, even if not always earth-shattering or profound. Celebrity stories loom large, thanks in part to the star's recent experiences as purveyor of New York City's Club Cumming, and while some in the audience will undoubtedly feel a sense of disconnect, anyone with a healthy appreciation for pop culture and Mr. Cumming's place in it will find those tales amusing and worthwhile.

The song selections are of the life-affirming variety. There's Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is," Liza Minnelli's "It Was a Good Time," and Lauren Bacall's "But Alive." They make for a comforting complement to all the talk about Botox, gray hairs, and the growing rate of death in one's social circles as the years go by. There are pensive ruminations too, as with his unexpected covers of Billy Joel's "Where's the Orchestra" and Adele's "When We Were Young."

He sprinkles in a few funny originals and occasionally takes a turn at the piano, accompanied on stage by a four-piece band who, at the Dr. Phillips Center stop, were playing together on stage for the first time. We'd never have known that but for Cumming's eagerness to put a spotlight on those around him, giving them more attention than a headliner's obligatory round of band intros might require.

In a clever twist on the evening's theme, Cumming weaves in a medley of songs from The Little Mermaid, Moana, and (briefly) Frozen - a reminder that getting older doesn't preclude remaining young at heart. Cumming still sounds young in voice too. His unique Scottish tenor, always better known for authenticity than perfection, is well suited even to the evening's challenging songbook, which also includes "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret (the Broadway revival of which won Mr. Cumming his 1998 Tony).

The Disney songs didn't seem to be unique to Orlando, but one moment likely was. Late in the evening, Cumming paused to condemn the Sunshine State's "Don't Say Gay" bill: "Florida, you're so much better than this." He seemed perhaps less than entirely comfortable veering off script but also clearly motivated by sincere conviction, as if he couldn't pass through the state without acknowledging the frightening shift that legislation represents. He spoke of his own past pain and of the bill's potentially life-threatening impact. For all the evening's appeal to celebrity infatuation, this moment had no air of superstar pontification; it was personal, real, and well received by his sympathetic audience.

The biggest draw to an evening with Alan Cumming may be just that: it's an evening with Alan Cumming, a playful and energetic personality you like right away. His easy wit and effortless charm create an atmosphere that feels distinctly personal and intimate, even a thousand miles south of Club Cumming.

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For touring and ticketing information about Alan Cumming IS NOT ACTING HIS AGE and other Cumming performances, visit his official website. For other upcoming concerts at Dr. Phillips Center, visit the DPC box office online.

What did you think of Alan Cumming IS NOT ACTING HIS AGE at Dr. Phillips Center's Steinmetz Hall? Let me know on Twitter @AaronWallace.

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